Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Anthoxanthum odoratum
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Sweet Vernal Grass from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Anthoxanthum odoratum ssp. odoratum
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 24 (2007)
Anthoxanthum odoratum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-60-002:
Anthoxanthum odoratum FAMILY Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Anthoxanthum odoratum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Anthoxanthum odoratum
COMMON NAME:
Sweet Vernal Grass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm150329_014
March Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm160328_150
March Greenville County SC
)
Keith Bradley kab_a_odoratum_3436
March Lancaster County SC
Panicles yellowish-brown, cylindrical, dense, usually less than 6cm long, per How to Know the Grasses: Pictured Key Nature Series (Pohl, 1954).
)
Gill Newberry gn04_a_odoratum_flowers
April
)
Gill Newberry gn04_a_odoratum_young_pla
April
)
JK Marlow jkm0504a_37
April Greenville County SC
Roadside
Has the delightful fragrance of coumarin, persisting after plants are dried, per How to Know the Grasses: Pictured Key Nature Series (Pohl, 1954).
)
JK Marlow jkm0504p_10
April Greenville County SC
Roadside
Named from the Greek "anthos" (flower) and "xanthos" (yellow), per Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950).
)
JK Marlow jkm190413_7396
April Rabun County GA
)
JK Marlow jkm190425_7750
April Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow s050403_a1
April Greenville County SC
Roadside
Taper which forms the leaf's acute apex often starts quite near the point, per How to Know the Grasses: Pictured Key Nature Series (Pohl, 1954).
)
JK Marlow jkm0405v_10
May Greenville County SC
Widely established as a weed of roadsides, woods and meadows, per How to Know the Grasses: Pictured Key Nature Series (Pohl, 1954).
)
JK Marlow jkm070530_019
May Greenville County SC
Roadside
Shorter, darker grass is Anthoxanthum odoratum; taller is Danthonia sericea.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Anthoxanthum odoratum
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Anthoxanthum odoratum ssp. odoratum
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 24
Anthoxanthum odoratum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-60-002:
Anthoxanthum odoratum
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Anthoxanthum odoratum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Anthoxanthum odoratum
107
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial/Winter annual
Habitat: Lawns, roadsides, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Common in Carolinas (uncommon to rare in GA)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate, 2-ranked
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Lemmas brownish
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Grain yellowish
Grain
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950) p549
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p026
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".